Did herrings have a political significance in Cinderford? (General)

by JaneyH , Tunbridge Wells, Kent, Tuesday, February 13, 2018, 22:29 (2474 days ago) @ JaneyH

Here are some more details of the court case.

Those charged were as follows (outcome in brackets):
Michael Barnard (12 months with hard labour)
George Walding (12 months with hard labour)
James Davis (8 months)
William Coleman (8 months)
William Ferris (3 months)
Thomas Matthews (not guilty)
Thomas Cooper (discharged by judge)
Isaac Robertson (acquitted)
Arthur Davis, Thomas Workman, Thomas Bevan & Thomas Sharper (case withdrawn)

Victims of the riot - houses/properties damaged by the rioters:
James White, innkeeper of the Fleece Inn and butcher
Henry Harwood
Robert Yemm, draper and grocer, Cinderford
Messrs Freeman, Church, Williams and Banks

Some of the witnesses at the trial were as follows:
Elijah Organ, mason, Cinderford
John White, collier, Upper Bilson, brother of James White
Frank Dyer, a boy
Mr Mountjoy, miners' agent, who spoke to the crowd during the riot
John Nelson, painter and glazier, Cinderford - did repairs to James White's property
Milsom White, brother to James White
Richard White, collier, Bilson Woodside, messenger between committee rooms and checkers
Joseph Banks, a lad, son of the landlord of the King's Head, Bilson Woodside
Charles Butt, slaughterman to James White
Elizabeth Meredith, landlady of the Turk's Head Inn
J G Lucas, boot and shoemaker
John Morgan, butcher

To follow up jefff's question there is no more detail about who "Old Matthias" was. I'll look at parish registers for local churches and see if it was one of the incumbents. Of course it might have been just the sexton or churchwarden, which might be harder to track down.

Separately, James White brought a case against the Hundred of St. Briavel's to recover compensation for damage inflicted on his property by the riotous conduct of a mob. I'm not a lawyer, and the argument is difficult to follow, but I think he was unsuccessful.